Process and means for sealing storage batteries



Dec. 9, 193%; H. H, ALDRICH ET AL 1,784,216

PROCESS AND MEANS FOR SEALING STORAGE BATTERIES Original Filed April 5.1927 Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE HER-BERT H.ALDRICH AND JOHN L. RUIPP, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, AS- I SIGNORS,BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO W'UBCO BATTERY CORPORATION, OF NIAGARA FALLS,NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK rnocnss AND MEANS FOR SEALINGSTORAGE BATTERIES i Application filed April 5, 1927, Serial No. 31,127."Renewed April 11, 1930.

age-batteries embodying our invention, andwill then point ,outthe novelfeatures thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a top view of a storage batterywith the cover in place, but 'not sealed and without the connectingstraps applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line IIII of Fig. 1.Figs. 3,

showing modified forms of joints to which.

' processes embodying our invention are applicable. Fig. 9 is asectional view online IXIX of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig.9 showing the condition of the parts after the final step in a processembodying our invention.

Slmilar reference characters refer to s1m1- lar parts in each of theseveral views.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the reference character 1 designates astorage battery container composed of fusible insulating material whichmay, for example, be bitumen reinforced by fibrous material. resists theaction of sulphuric acid and is suf- Such material ficiently rigid towithstand shocks to which battery containers are subjected in use.Formed integrally with the side walls of the container are a pluralityof partitions 2 which divide the container into separate compartments.As here shown each compartment'is closed by means of a-cell cover 3,suitable openings 4 being provided in each cover to accommodate theterminal posts 5 of the battery cells which occupy the compartments.

The covers 3 are preferably composed of a fusible insulating materialsimilar to that .of which thecontainer is made.

As shown in Fig. 2, wall 1 is cut away to provide a shoulder 6 for thepurpose of sup porting the cover 3, and when this cover is in place anarrow groove is left between the face 1 of the wall 1 and the face 3 ofcover 3. It has heretofore been customary inseal-v ing batteries toplace the cover in position and then to fill this groove with hotsealing com- I pound so as to form a liquid tight joint between thecontainer wall and the cover. Processes embodying our invention renderthe addition of this sealing compound unnecessary in sealing a battery.In carrying out one such process the faces 1 and 3 are heated and thesoftened material is kneaded down into this groove and ironed into placeuntil the groove is completely filled. As shown in Fig. 3 the faces ofthe wall and cover are heated by means of an open concentrated flamefrom a suitable torch 9, and when these faces areheated sufficiently, ahot soldering copper 7 having a thin elongated blade 8 is passed throughthe groove in such manner as to iron the ,molten material into Place andto knead it into a homogen eous mass which completely fills the groovebetween the wall 1 and the cover 3. After this step in the process iscompleted, the union between the side wall the upper surface 10 of thejoint is rough and irregular. After the entire outside contactingsurface of the cover 3 has been united to the associated container wall,the joint between these two parts may be finished bythe application ofheat and pressure. I This smoothing process may be carried out by meansof a heated soldering iron which produces a smooth g'roove 10, at thetop of the joint between the wall land the cover 3 as shown in Fig. 6.

In some instances it may not be desirable to provide the .wall 1 with ashoulder for the purpose of supporting the cell cover, and in such .casethe cover :is supported by the terminal post of the-battery so thattheadjoiningfaces of the wall 1 and the cover 3 appear as in Fig. 7 Itmay also be desirable to bevel the adjacent surfaces of the wall 1 andthe cover 3 as shown in Fig. 8, the cover 3 in this instance also beingsupported by the terminal contact with the sides of the post.

posts of the battery. Processes embodying our invention are applicableto the sealing of batgeries in which these forms of joint are use Afterthe covers 3 of the battery are sealed into contact with the walls ofthe container, it .is necessary also to seal the opening between theprojecting posts 5 of the'battery and the associated opemngs 4 in thecover. As shown in Fig. 9 the side walls of the opening 4 are spacedfrom the sides of the terminal post 5 and the cover 3 is supported by aprojecting flange 12 on the terminal post 5. In sealin the openingbetween the terminal post 5 and the cover 3, heat is applied to theedges of the opening until the material fuses suflicientl to allow it tobe kneaded into the bottom of the groove, the groove being completelyfilled a close fter this fusing process the surface of the cover inproximity to the face will be more or less irregular, but a smoothingiron may be passed over this surface to produce a smooth shallow groove11 as shown in Fig. 10.

It will now be clear that processes embodying our invention may be usednot only to seal the contacting surface between a battery cover and thecontainer, but are equally applicable to sealing the openings betweenthe projecting terminal posts and the battery cover, and that suchprocesses materially simand the softened material forming vplify theconstruction of the battery since the necessity of using a separatesealing com ound is avoided. Another advantage of our invention is thatthe battery cover may be constructed of the same material as that of thebattery container.

Although we have herein shown and described only one process and meansfor sealing storage batteries, it is understood that various changes andmodifications may be made therein within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is;

- to form a homogeneous union.

tures.

posed of bituminous material and a cover of the same material withmembers projecting through said cover, which consists in applying heatto the adjoining faces of the casin and cover, ironing the materialuntil suc faces are joined in homogeneous union, and then heating andworking the faces of the cover about said members until the. material inapplying a cover of the same material to the container, heatingthe-adjoining faces of the cover and container until the parts fusetogether and thenv smoothing the joint by the application of heat andpressure.

6. The process of sealing a storage battery comprising a container and acover both of bituminous material, which consists in heating andironingthe adjoining faces of the container and cover until such facesfuse together, smoothing the 'oint between the edges by the applicationof cat and pressure, and then fusing and ironing the cover into intimatecontact with the battery posts.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- HERBERT H. ALDIt-ICH. JOHN L.RUPP.

2. The process of closing a container com- I of a bituminouscomposition, which consists in applying a cover-of the same material tothe container, heating the adjoining faces of the cover and containeruntil such faces fuse together, ironing the joint to form a homogeneousunion, and then smoothing the joint by the application of heat andpressure.

3. The. process of closing a container com-

